Ex-Chief Minister Datuk Harris Mohd Salleh was one of the speakers at the Convention for Sabah Issues organised by Sabah-based Barisan Nasional component (BN) member Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) at the Putera Theatre in Bukit Padang nere Kota Kinabalu.
Harris who was Chief Minister during his Party Berjaya Government (1976-1985) talks on various issues and also had a busy time fielding questions from the floor.
Answering a question, Harris said he did no think that Sabah would be joining the opposition because it would be like `out of the frying pan into the fire.'
Instead, he said what was important is for Umno to change, adding that when he was Sabah Chief Minister, he was never accepted as a Malay by Umno.
He said the `budaya cium tangan' (kissing the hand culture) had become embedded deeply in the BN.
"So how can we win if 60 per cent are those `cium tangan',' he said.
Harris was also asked for the reason why he surrendered Labuan to the Federal Government while he was the Chief Minister.
Using the grandfather, father and son terminology, Harris said a father (State Government) would not hesitate to give his son (Labuan) under the care of the grandfather (Federal Government).
He said the father was confident that the son would be taken good care because the grandfather has everything.
"But we never knew that the grandfather would give the son ikan masin (salted fish) and ask him to walk to school, " Harris said.
